Extreme Makeover: Catlettsburg Edition

In the library world, we like to refer to February as Love Your Library Month. There’s so much to love – all year round – but the month when love is traditionally celebrated seems like a good time to spread some of that love to libraries.

This year, at BCPL, we have another reason. On Valentine’s Day – the big day of love itself – we will be showing off all the improvements made over the last few months to the Catlettsburg Branch.

The branch closed at the end of September for a major overhaul. Patrons in the eastern end of the county have been patiently waiting since then for their “little branch” to reopen.

We hope everyone in Catlettsburg – and elsewhere in the county – will join us on Thursday, Feb. 14, to tour the new and improved branch. It’s located at 2704 Louisa St., just downriver from the Boyd County courthouse.

There will be cake and other refreshments throughout the day. We will also be having a drawing to give away an eReader.

So, what’s been done? A lot.

The former dress shop – home to BCPL for nearly 30 years – got a new roof, and new wiring, lighting and ductwork. By moving the ductwork, there is a lot more height in the middle of the building. There is also a bit more room in the parking lot, because the air conditioning unit went up on the roof.

The branch also has new ADA compliant restrooms, and new paint, carpet and furniture, along with a nice-sized meeting room, something the branch has lacked.

Patrons will also notice a new front desk (complete with book drop), positioned on the other side of the room so staff can greet people when they come in. There is a small children’s space, new office and work space for staff, and comfortable seating and study spaces. And, of course, there are still public computers, and loads of shelving filled with books, movies, magazines, newspapers and music.

All that in 2,400 square feet!

TSHD Architects of Ashland was the project’s architect, and Portco (located in Portsmouth, Ohio) was the contractor. The contract included “green” specifications, which means we recycled as much of the material removed from the building as possible, and installed energy efficient lighting and fixtures.

KPC Architectural Products of Lexington did the public space layout, including furniture, the new circulation desk and shelving.

Altogether, the project cost around $170,000 for the physical remodel, and another $60,000 for interior furnishings. The funds had been in the library’s capital outlay budget for about three years.

When the weather improves, we will need to do some drain and elevation work in front of the building. But that won’t interrupt operations at all.

We are very excited about the project, and hope patrons will love it too. Please stop by and let us know what you think.